History Main / ReachingBetweenTheLines

* In TheDCU, this is a famous way of traveling for The Atom. He would call someone, and when the receiver is picked up, the superhero would shrink sufficient to enter the phone lines and emerge at the other end. However, one modern story had him forgetting that the call would involve satellite relay and he had a really rough trip.

* In ''ANightmareOnElmStreet'', Freddy possesses Nancy's phone and sticks his tongue through it and into her mouth.

This mostly seems confined to cartoons, although similar events have shown up in live action comedies from time to time, usually ones that don't confine themselves too closely to the laws of reality. While there are more serious [[TheMatrix works]] where phones are used as transport focuses, this is about humourous uses.

* A variation: An episode of ''MysteryScienceTheater3000'' featured as an Invention Exchange the "Gag Fax", by which you squirt water into the receiver, send the fax, and the printout at the other end will squirt the recipient.

* ''FamilyGuy'' did a variation on this, with Peter's father-in-law punching him in the face through an e-mail.

* In one ''KimPossible'' episode, [[MadScientist Professor Dementor]] invented a device to teleport over phone lines.

* In a ''{{Laurel and Hardy}}'' short, Stan and Ollie are arguing over the telephone; Stan blows into the mouthpiece and Ollie's hat is blown off.

* In ''[[TheGoonShow The Case Of The Mukkinese Battle Horn]]'', Superintendent Quilt lights Sir Jervis Fruit's cigarette through the telephone, as in the ''PoliceSquad'' example above.

* Used often in ''LooneyTunes'' and MGM cartoons.
** One example would be Tex Avery's "Doggone Tired", a short about a dog trying to sleep while a rabbit places the phone on his pillow, with the operator jabbering away. The dog strangles the handset, thus somehow strangling the operator (complete with tongue lolling out the receiver).

** The episode "Jellyfish Jam" had Squidward calling [=SpongeBob=] regarding the noise coming from next door and getting squirted with jellyfish jelly.

[[AC:{{Real Life}}]]

* In a ''BennyHill'' sketch Benny played a switchboard operator in an apartment building with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaking_tube speaking tubes.]] At one point he took two calls, one from a man whose plumbing was leaking and another from a woman who had a small fire. He connected the tubes together so the leaking water would put out the fire. Another couple of callers were a doctor and his paitent, and the tubes were brokens (they couldn't be connected) so he had to act as an inbetween. The doctor sent a pill to the paitent by blowing it through the tube to Benny, who then blew it to the patient; but he sucked when he should have blown and swallowed the pill himself.

* Many times on ThatGuyWithTheGlasses have people thrown objects (or punches) at one another through their computer screens. Notable examples include [[WebOriginal/BadMovieBeatdown Film Brain]] being punched by [[TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]], or ObscurusLupa throwing a DVD at IronLiz.

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* The ''AquaTeenHungerForce'' episode ''Total Re-Carl'' opens with Dr Weird sending a telemarketer some "phone spiders".

* Many times on ThatGuyWithTheGlasses have people thrown objects (or punches) at one another through their computer screens. Notable examples include [[BadMovieBeatdown Film Brain]] being punched by [[TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]], or ObscurusLupa throwing a DVD at IronLiz.

* In an AbbottAndCostello movie, Lou keeps trying to make an important call but is obstructed by the operator who keeps telling him, "The line is busy". Eventually Lou gets so frustrated that he squirts a soda siphon down the mouthpiece and the operator gets squirted in the face.

[[quoteright:320:[[AquaTeenHungerForce http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ATHF_phone_spiders_7323.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:320:"This is Jay Edwards with Chauna Construction Company. With spring here we thought you might be interested in a new deck-- Ahh! Spiders!!"]]

-->A pay phone was ringing
-->It just about blew my mind
-->When I picked it up and said hello
-->This foot came through the line
--->''Bob Dylan's 115th Dream'', '''BobDylan'''

* In an Abbott & Costello movie, Lou keeps trying to make an important call but is obstructed by the operator who keeps telling him, "The line is busy". Eventually Lou gets so frustrated that he squirts a soda siphon down the mouthpiece and the operator gets squirted in the face.
* In ''[[TheGoonShow The Case Of The Mukkinese Battle Horn]]'', Superintendent Quilt lights Sir Jervis Fruit's cigarette through the telephone, as in the ''PoliceSquad'' example above.

** TheJimHensonHour's Muppet Television segments used this trope more frequently.

** The JimHensonHour's Muppet Television segments used this trope more frequently.

* ''CandidCamera'' once did a stunt where a person talking on the phone suddenly sneezed. The victim, at the other end, was then sprayed with water from a gadget in the receiver. The victims reacted with disgust, at least until FridgeLogic kicked in.

* A serious version of this was done in ''GoodOmens''. Crowley and his demon assailant make themselves really, really small and travel through the phone lines. [[spoiler:And then, Crowley manages to catch his opponent in his (Crowley's) own answering machine.]]

* Chris Miller wrote a short story for ''NationalLampoon'' (title currently not found) where a female telephone collector calls a broke young man to discuss the outstanding phone bill. He tries to weasel his way out of the bill by claiming he's the bassist in her favorite van. Dirty talk ensues, and then ''a tongue comes through the earpiece and licks his ear.'' When he unscrews the earpiece, he finds a mouth-- and lets himself get fellated. The woman's voice on the other end demands sex; he removes the plate from the bottom of the phone and finds female genitalia ready for him. He plunges in-- and then [[GroinAttack a metal clamp locks onto his junk]] while the woman, now all business, resumes talking about the bill...

!!Examples

* A serious version of this was done in ''GoodOmens''. Crowley and his demon assailant make themselves really, really small and travel through the phone lines.

* Moe in a Three Stooges short managed to deliver an eye poke this way once.
* In a BennyHill sketch Benny played a switchboard operator in an apartment building with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaking_tube speaking tubes.]] At one point he took two calls, one from a man whose plumbing was leaking and another from a woman who had a small fire. He connected the tubes together so the leaking water would put out the fire. Another couple of callers were a doctor and his paitent, and the tubes were brokens (they couldn't be connected) so he had to act as an inbetween. The doctor sent a pill to the paitent by blowing it through the tube to Benny, who then blew it to the patient; but he sucked when he should have blown and swallowed the pill himself.

* In one ''Kim Possible'' episode, [[MadScientist Professor Dementor]] invented a device to teleport over phone lines.

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